The taste of black garlic is so unlike that of white garlic, you'd think they were different plants. While the garlic we all cook with daily is white, hard and strong-smelling, black garlic is its opposite in just about every way imaginable. Soft, jelly-like and chewy in texture, it is so odourless and mellow that some people pop a whole clove or two into their mouth, as if eating a balsamic vinegar-flavoured wine gum with a touch of liquorice.

Different though the two end-products are, black garlic in fact starts off life white. Even more remarkably, no chemicals or flavourings are added to the cloves to bring about this dramatic transformation. The cloves are subjected to a three-week heat-treatment process during which the natural sugars and amino acids break down in such a way that the garlic turns into an alarming-looking black fermented product. And it's one that is finding its way on to more and more supermarket shelves.

Sure, its looks may not appeal to everyone, but with a taste that's reminiscent of molasses and tamarind, it adds a depth of flavour to dishes. For those who aren't quite ready to swap their tin of car sweets for a pot of peeled black garlic cloves, introduce yourself to this dark star by adding a few thin slivers to a crunchy root vegetable and sesame seed salad; or stir some through a prawn risotto. As with black sesame or nigella seeds, these thinly sliced matt-black shards not only add an unexpected flavour, but look stunning, too.

Use it in sauces, dips and purées to enliven old favourites. Black garlic mayo, for instance, works brilliantly with classic roast chicken or white fish. Or chop up a couple of cloves, mix with some cream cheese and soured cream, and spread on bruschetta for an exciting twist.

Black garlic is a relatively new ingredient in the UK. First sold here in 2009 (it was developed in Korea), it has been produced on these shores since 2012 and is now sold online, in some supermarkets and many healthfood stores. It comes as a whole bulb, a pot of ready-peeled cloves or a puree. There are all kinds of claims to its status as a super-food, and its antioxidant credentials are strong, but it's that genuinely new taste that hooked me.

Barbecue beef short ribs with black garlic and urfa chilli

These wonderfully smoky and aromatic short ribs need to be cooked a day in advance (and for four hours or more, too), then marinated for 24 hours and barbecued. You can take the meat off the bone, as here, for easy grilling and eating, but there's nothing wrong with leaving the bones in, to give the dish that wholesome, rustic feel. Ideally, I'd serve these with a crisp lettuce salad and some roast potatoes. Serves four.

Heat the oven to 140C/260F/gas mark ½. Put the ribs in a casserole for which you have a lid, and add the peeled onion, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and stock – the ribs need to be immersed in liquid, so add more stock or water, if need be.

Put the pot on a medium-high heat, bring to a light simmer, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for four to four and a half hours, until the meat is completely tender.

Remove the cooked ribs from the stock (you can save the stock for use in soups or sauces), and pull off the meat in large chunks, removing and discarding the bones and any excess fat.

While the beef is cooking, put the marinade ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, add a teaspoon of salt and blitz to a very smooth paste. Transfer to a large, non-reactive bowl, add the meat and mix so it's well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put a ridged griddle pan on a high heat and, when it starts to smoke, lay on the pieces of beef; you may have to do this in batches. (You can, of course, also cook the meat on a barbecue outdoors.) Grill for two minutes, turning regularly so the meat takes on colour and smoke on all sides, then transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for about 12 minutes, until warmed right through. As always, leave the meat to rest for a few minutes before serving.